Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council Meeting - Free Busess to Clean Water Hearing 1/15/12 and Other News

What

Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council Meeting - Free Busess to Clean Water Hearing 1/15/12 and Other News

When

1/14/2013, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Where

Pathfinder Park - Community Center

At the Rowland Heights Community Coordinating Council Meeting, the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure will be discussed: Supervisor Knabe is inviting fellow community members to attend the January 15 Board of Supervisor’s Public Hearing to speak in opposition of the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure.

The office has arranged bus transportation for those wishing to attend.  Tuesday, January 15, 2013.  

Pick-up will be Pathfinder Park, Upper Parking lot at 8:00 a.m. to Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, LA. Return time is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. or TBD.

Supervisor Knabe strongly opposes the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure, believing that the way the process is being managed is a sneaky attempt to get it passed. 

This is a two-step process.  What you received is the first step, a Notice of a Public Hearing and Protest Form, which was sent to all residential, business and public parcel owners in Los Angeles County.  If you oppose the Measure, you were asked to fill out and mail in the Protest Form that is attached to the Notice.  At the Public Hearing on January 15, 2013 if a majority protest of the parcel owners throughout the County has been received, then the item will be rejected.  If the protest fails, the Measure is currently scheduled to go to the second step, which could be a mail-in ballot next Spring.

The special election mail-in ballot would be sent only to property owners.  It is being done this way because polls show that if a ballot measure went to all registered voters, the initiative would be much less likely to pass.  While this process is in line with the letter of the law, it is not in the spirit of the law.  Supervisor Knabe sees this as an underhanded attempt to pass this initiative and is strongly against this taxpayer rip-off. 

This Measure is a proposed fee on parcel owners that will generate funding to complete projects that protect public health, and increase drinking water supplies, by cleaning up our rivers, lakes, bays, beaches and coastal waters.  The Supervisor has consistently supported clean water projects throughout the County, and he remains committed to improving water quality.   However, he believes that every voter in the County should have the opportunity to decide on this fee, through an open and transparent initiative process, which should be putting it before the voters and not in a mailing. 

The Public Hearing for this Measure is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 2013 in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room.  At that time, if there is no majority protest, then Supervisor Knabe will again push for a Regular Ballot on an election day.  He will not support the item if it is a Special Election by mail and only for property owners.

If you have more questions on the specifics of the Measure itself, please call

(800) 218-0018 or visit www.lacountycleanwater.org.